Sign In

- Or use -
Forgot Password Create Account
This item has been sold, but you can enter your email address to be notified if another example becomes available.
Description

One of the Foundation Maps of Canada

Fine example of Johannes De Laet's map of the East Coast of North America, extending from Cape Cod to Newfoundland.

De Laet's map appeared in his seminal work on America, which is widely regarded as the most important and influential treatise on the subject published in the 17th Century. The map provides the best representations to date of the coastline and is referred to by Burden as "one of the foundation maps of Canada" and "the first printed map to include an accurate Prince Edward Island, and the earliest depiction of a north-south oriented Lake Champlain."

The map is widely believed to have been based upon the work of Hessel Gerritsz, who drew primarily from Champlain's map of 1612 as a source.

Johannes De Laet was an important participant in the founding of New Netherlands and a director of the Dutch West India Company, which sponsored its settlement. He also owned a large tract of land in the area of Albany. He therefore would have had access to surveys and information from Dutch colonists, which explains how he produced this fine map at such an early date.

An essential map for collectors of this region.

Reference
Burden 230.